Sonic and the Fancy Chair
by Rev897
Summary: Sonic's gotten himself sucked into another storybook. In this one, though, danger doesn't seem to throw itself at him as it did in the others. Not knowing whether there is any danger at all, he must simply play along and hope to escape.
1. Chapter 1

**Oh hai, everybody. How's it going? Now you may be wondering to yourself, 'why is he putting up a new story when he's only gotten through the prologue of another one?' Well, it's because I have been stricken with about the biggest writer's block of my life. Seriously, I cannot think of anything to write in that next chapter right now. Just to show you how bad it is, it took me almost a month to write part of the chapter of that story, but this chapter here took about three days. I am not joking. Well, here's to taking a break and focusing on something new. Enjoy.**

Chapter 1: Down the Familiar Rabbit Hole

Normal days like this came and went with ease in Sonic's head. No matter how many times the world seemed to be in grave danger, it always seemed to have time for a bright sunny day in-between global crises. Sonic mused to himself that the world in need of saving would soon become the norm, and a relaxing day like this would become a rarity. Not that he wasn't content with kicking Eggman's toys to the next continent and back, but every hero needs a little break, right?

He was reclining under the shade of a tree on a hill, eyes closed. It was somewhat of a stereotype, he thought, but he wasn't one to argue with a little consistency. If his normal-day calculations were correct, however, he would be hearing the shrill voice of Amy Rose before too long. To Sonic, this was all the more reason to enjoy the pleasant setting and relax. A strong breeze blew through his quills, ruffling them slightly. He joked to himself about how picture-perfect the whole scenario was. "Seriously," he thought, "my life might as well be written by some talentless hack who can't think of another way to start a story about me than with a perfect sunny day."

Just then, a vengeful and ironic storm gathered around the area where Sonic lay, soaking him within seconds. "Oh great, water," he said with dismay. Luckily, the city of Station Square wasn't very far from the hill where he was. Getting out of the rain was as simple as finding a suitable-looking building, then taking off.

Sonic would have rather enjoyed the running, were it not for the buckets of water spraying in his face, nor the puddles of mud that left marks on his shoes. If it weren't one of the basic needs for life, Sonic would have wished that water didn't exist. Apart from drinking, it was completely good for nothing to him. All it did was just sit there and stir up storms like this one. Not to mention the fact that he'd have to dry himself off later which would take forever without a towel. Even with a towel, he'd have to be extremely careful to avoid skewering it with his quills. And why? Because stupid water just clung to his body like so many tiny Amy clones.

It occurred to him that he would probably want someone to talk to until the storm blew over. Tails would be the obvious choice, but he felt like changing things up a little. Sonic loved him like a little brother, but it was okay to get away every now and again. It would probably be good to hang out with other people too; get to know them better. Knuckles was, of course, guarding his Master Emerald, and usually didn't take kindly to unannounced visits. He didn't talk that much anyway. The Chaotix might be a good choice, though his last encounter with them had ended up in a broken television, several angry neighbors, and a trombone around an unconscious Espio's neck. Amy's company would mostly consist of marriage demands and constant touching. Shadow, he knew, would sooner make pleasant conversation with a concrete brick than Sonic. But he was staying with Rouge. Maybe he could go see if he could get her to stop staring at her jewels for five minutes and talk to him.

Eager to accept a new challenge, he dashed through the streets of Station Square to find the ever-ostentatious Club Rouge. The night club doubled as a living quarters for Shadow and Rouge. It wasn't a bad place for a good time, but he wasn't really fond of being around a bunch of drunks all night. He had had more than his share of awkward experiences with scantily clad women under the influence of alcohol.

When he reached the inner city, he had to slow considerably. Most people didn't appreciate him creating sonic booms, running in front of their cars, making huge gusts of wind. They'd be even angrier now that he could splash water all over them from the storm. Slowing down for him now was twice as exasperating as it normally would be. Once he started running, he wanted to keep going until he got to where he was going. Slowing down left him feeling very unfulfilled along with the loss of adrenaline. Now, it left him without a way to get out of the stupid rain quickly. Nevertheless, if he didn't want to cause angry shouts in his wake, he'd have to to it.

He clenched his teeth in frustration at the relentless rain drops that kept on pestering his face. The wind wasn't particularly strong, but he still got a face full of irritatingly cold rain with every step. He looked around and saw that the streets were relatively empty. Maybe just this once, he could take off. There was nobody around, and the rain would become completely unbearable before long. It was so tempting to him that he felt an itch at the pit of his stomach begging him to do it. He took one last look around. Still nothing but streets and rain.

It felt like there were was a rope tied around his waist and two parts of him were pulling in opposite directions. One side of him was telling him to forget the rest of the world and just get to where he needed to go. The other told him that it would be indecent to just do whatever he pleased when he knew that it angered others. It was tearing him apart. He wanted so badly to tell one side of him to shut up and just follow the other one, but they were both screaming in his ear. The rain seemed to be pounding even harder. Club Rouge seemed to be even further away than usual. He thought he saw someone with an umbrella walking ahead of him, but it turned out to be a poster. No matter what he chose, it probably wouldn't leave him with both happiness and a clean conscience. But the road was clear, and the itch at the pit of his stomach would not let up. They said that you can never be too careful, but getting caught in this rain would be just pointless if there was nobody around.

Sonic picked up speed and began running at breakneck speeds towards the club. He could feel the watery wake that he was creating, but he didn't care anymore. It was him vs the rain, and he was not about to lose. Luckily for him, the streets remained empty as he finally reached the building with the unlit neon sign that read 'Club Rouge.'

He grabbed the handles to the glass double doors and pulled, but they would not open. It figured, he thought. It was way too early for them to be open. The rain was still colliding irritatingly with him, so he began knocking loudly on the doors. "Hello?" he called. "Rouge? Shadow? Anybody home?" He persisted his knocking for a minute or so. Finally, someone came to the door. To say that Sonic was startled would be somewhat of an understatement. Giant robots were common to him, but walking arsenals with glowing red eyes in what he considered to be a relatively safe area were very rare.

"Hey!" he called to the hulking metal figure on the other side of the doors. They were almost too short for him, and just wide enough for him to possibly squeeze through. Sonic recognized him as having accompanied Shadow and Rouge on some occasions. "Zeta! Er, Alpha, no, that's not it. Um..." He looked at the O-like letters on the robot's shoulders. "Omega! That's it! Could you let me in?"

The robot's red eyes had never ceased to stare at him since he had come into view. Sonic felt like he was talking to some intimidating monster that was completely ignoring his words, just sizing him up to eat him. But after a few seconds, Omega spoke. "Subject identified: Sonic the hedgehog. Organic life form. Arch nemesis of Dr. Eggman. Status at previous encounter: ally. Noted that Shadow does not enjoy his company. Causes for violence: none at this moment."

Sonic rolled his eyes slightly, the rain turning him somewhat irritable. "Yeah, that's great, big guy. Could you let me in now? I think my fingers are pruning up."

The robot continued to scrutinize Sonic. "Negative. This unit is not permitted to grant access to unauthorized personnel before or after business hours. Please return in 6.5 hours."

Sonic was now becoming desperate. "Couldn't you just go get Rouge to let me in? I'm dying out here!"

Omega seemed perplexed by Sonic's words. "This unit cannot sense any danger within the hedgehog's immediate vicinity. Is the meatbag experiencing any of the following symptoms? Choking, shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness of legs or other appendages-"

"Just go get Rouge!" he shouted.

The robot tilted backward slightly. "Despite behavior that many societies would consider rude, this unit cannot find any reason not to comply with the meatbag's request." He turned and walked further into the club.

Sonic wanted so badly to be in there right now. It was probably all heated and dry. No rain to keep pounding all over you, just nice warm blankets. The only thing standing between him and that was a pair of glass doors and a robot that called you a meatbag. He felt like he should apologize for snapping at him like that. Then again, did Omega really have any emotions at all? He couldn't understand exaggerations, that's for sure.

Soon enough, though, the white bat that he had been praying for appeared behind the doors with a key. She was looking very tired. She unlocked the doors and let Sonic in. He immediately crossed the doorframe into the well-heated club, breathing a sigh of relief, despite his shaking from the cold.

Before he could even thank Rouge, a towel was thrown at his face. "Dry yourself off, I don't want to have to clean up after you." Rouge sounded very tired and irritated. When he turned to look at her, she was wearing a pink robe and slippers. There were rings under her eyes, and her fur was quite disheveled. She was wearing a look of utter annoyance.

"Um, thanks for letting me in," he said as he dried himself. She only grunted in response. "Uh, any reason you look like I just interrupted an aftetnoon hibernation?"

"Bats are nocturnal, Sonic," she said, curtly. "If you're looking for a nice chat, you'll have to settle for Mr. Smiley upstairs until the club opens." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked off towards the door that led to their rooms.

"Um... Okay. Thanks again," he said.

"And don't touch anything," she called over her shoulder.

When the door closed behind her, he said, "Sheesh, she's crankier than Eggman when he runs out of double cheeseburgers."

The door opened again. "Bats have advanced hearing, too," Rouge called, irritably.

"I'll keep that in mind," he thought as the door slammed behind her again. Well, so much for getting to know her. In fact, he was completely out of options now. Most of the lights were off in the club, and he couldn't play any music. He looked towards the bar area. Alcohol wasn't his thing. It had gotten him in trouble on more than one occasion. He saw Omega, powered down in a corner. Sonic guessed that he acted as a bouncer once the club opened. So there was another person he couldn't talk to.

He finished drying himself off and looked toward the door that Rouge had recently disappeared behind. It was going to be difficult, but he had no choice but to try to socialize with Shadow. A nigh impossible task, but one that must be done to cure the intolerable ailment of boredom.

Slowly, he walked towards the door on the far side of the room. With Shadow, it probably wasn't going to get much more entertaining than walking across a room, so he might as well enjoy it while he could. Then it hit him how pathetic he was to be reduced to walking around as a means of entertainment. Picking up speed, slightly, he reached the door and opened it. The stairwell was, much like the rest of the club, painted black with pink hearts scattered across the walls. He walked up the carpeted stairs to the landing, then turned left to climb the second flight of stairs. When he reached the top, there was a door in front of him which he opened.

There was a long hallway that stretched to the left and to the right of him. To the far left, he saw a door with a large pink heart on it with a word that he couldn't quite make out from a distance. He guessed that it said 'Rouge.' To his right was simply a hallway with doors on the left side. There were small signs on the doors, but they mostly said things like 'Electrical,' 'Janitorial,' 'Storage.' He couldn't see any signs that said 'Shadow,' or had skulls, or had 'Ultimate Life Form's Quarters' in shining golden lettering like he had imagined.

He thought that since Rouge had that super hearing, he should probably try his luck with the right side of the hall. He crept along as quietly as if he were hunting wabbits, on the lookout for a sign that read 'All Non-Ultimates Keep Out,' or something to that effect. It wasn't until he reached the end of the hall that he found a door that didn't have a sign or any sort of marking on it.

Prepared for the worst, he reached out his hand and knocked as lightly as he could to not wake Rouge, but loud enough for anyone on the inside to hear. A few seconds later, and the door opened to reveal a black hedgehog with an emotionless frown on his face.

"What's up, Sha-" Before Sonic could even finish his cheerful greeting, the door was slammed loudly in his face. "-dow?" he finished, dejectedly. On the other end of the hall, a door slammed open as hardly as Shadow had slammed the door in Sonic's face. Without even looking, he could feel the rage emitted from the normally-composed bat flooding down the hallway before she was even there. When she was, she looked even angrier than before, the rings under her eyes more defined.

She completely ignored Sonic and banged on the door. "Shadow, if you don't let Sonic in, he's going to drive me insane. Open the door and bear his company for at least a few hours. I need the sleep; you don't." Her voice was harsh and cranky. Sonic would definitely not want to be in Shadow's shoes right now. In fact, he didn't even want to be in his own shoes.

"There is nothing that you could possibly do to me that would be worse than trying to talk to him," said Shadow, through the door. They did realize that Sonic was right there, didn't they?

"Do it or I will play nothing but Ke$ha, Black Eyed Peas, and Pitbull on loop tonight," threatened Rouge.

There was a pause. "You're bluffing," said Shadow.

"I control the music, you control the drinks," said Rouge. "It's your choice. I can even throw in a little Justin Bieber if you like."

After a few seconds of interval, the door finally opened, and Shadow let Sonic inside. "A hedgehog is more tolerable than a chipmunk," he said.

"Wait, I thought Justin Bieber was a human," said Sonic.

"I know what I said," replied Shadow.

Shadow closed the door behind them and sat down on his bed. Shadow's room was mainly black, including his bed and pillows. The carpet was a dark red. The room wasn't particularly big, with a bed on the far corner, a bookcase with a small collection on the other far corner, a nightstand with a lamp next to the bed, and a small dresser near the door.

"Like to keep things simple, huh, Shadow?"

"Shut up and read," said Shadow, tossing a book from the shelf to Sonic. Sonic caught it rather clumsily, though this being due to the fact that it was a sudden toss.

"Talkative as always, aren't you?" Sonic said, sarcastically, as Shadow chose one for himself. "What's this? 'How to Deal With Amnesia for Ultimate Life Forms?'"

Shadow ignored him and started reading his own book. "You know," said Sonic, "I usually don't read that much. When I do, I usually get sucked into the book and have to go on an adventure to get out of it."

"Fascinating," said Shadow, sarcastically. "Maybe the books take pity on you for your illiteracy by letting you experience them instead."

"Hey, I can read!" said Sonic, defensively. "Just watch!" He opened to the first page of the book without looking at the cover. Before he could even read the first word, lightning struck, and he vanished. The book hit the ground.

"Is thunder really that scary to you?" asked Shadow, still not looking up from his book. When no whiny defense came, he decided to look up, and found that there was no hedgehog at the other end of the room at all. He put his book down to see that the one he had given to Sonic was lying open on the floor. "Sonic?" he called. No reply came. He got up from his bed and walked towards the book, half-expecting Sonic to jump out of nowhere and try to scare him. The other half of him wondered whether Sonic really had vanished into the book, as he said had happened. He bent down and looked at the cover of the book that had just been in the hands of the blue hedgehog. He smirked.

"Well, if he really is in the book, it's too bad it had to be that one," he said.

XOXOX

Sonic wasn't sure how he had gotten there or what had just happened. The only thing that he knew was that the ground was rocking beneath him, and it was raining. Life sucked.

**So, can you guess what the book that he's been sucked into is? Don't worry, it'll become apparent in time. In any case, please review if you can. This whole story's going to be centered around Sonic, so if I'm getting his characteristics wrong, let me know now rather than later. Hasta luego. **


	2. Chapter 2

**The following is a non-profit fan-based fiction. Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic X are all owned by Sega, Archie Comics, 4Kids Entertainment, and Yuji Naka. Please support the official release.**

**(I can claim ownership of this part of the story because it is almost completely original content)**

Chapter 2: A Rude Awakening

Sonic had been dropped into bizarre situations before. He had been transported into the Arabian Nights during a nap and wished for a mountain of handkerchiefs for some odd reason. He had been summoned into the legends of King Arthur in the middle of lunchtime and been told in a nonsensical twist that he was actually King Arthur. He had even been turned into some werewolf thing in the middle of kicking Eggman's butt and met some weird smurf thing that was obsessed with ice cream. But this time, he had been transported onto a ship in stormy weather in the middle of proving to Shadow that he could read. What would happen this time? Would he end up getting a straw hat and becoming king of the pirates?

"Oy! Sonic! You alright?" asked a voice with a scottish accent above him. Sonic didn't know how that man knew his name, but at least he wasn't being called Knave or Legendary Hedgehog.

Sonic looked up to see a brown squirrel standing above him with his hand outstretched. He was wearing a blue button-up sailor uniform which was probably darker than usual due to the rain. He had a very amicable look to him, and a twinkle in his eye that suggested a bit of mischief in his nature. "You took quite a fall, there," he said.

"I've had worse," said Sonic, taking his hand.

As the squirrel pulled him up, a black terrier in a similar uniform came up behind him. He had a more stern air about him; not at all unfriendly, simply the look of one who liked following rules. He said, in a British accent, "Just be careful not to take too many more falls like that. You'll stain your uniform."

"My wha-?" Sonic looked down to see that he was, indeed, wearing a uniform just like the other two. So not only had he been transported into the story, he had been blended into it as well. He was normally very against clothing because of how restricting it was on his running, and now it was just plain uncomfortable because the water made it cling tightly to his skin.

He took his first good look around the ship. It was a fairly large one, probably some sort of cargo vessel. From the looks of it, he had fallen off of the quarter deck onto the main deck. The captain's quarters were right behind him. Large sails as tall as a house were blowing in the strong winds.

The ship was rocking fairly strongly. There was plenty of rain, but no thunder or lightning.

It looked like he was in some sort of pirate novel. His main concern was whether he would fall into the water. Though he would never admit it to anyone that he didn't totally trust, he couldn't swim. For some inexplicable reason, this made Sonic hate water more than anything. Even rain was enough to irritate him.

"I think he hit his head harder than we thought," said the squirrel. "He looks like he doesn't even know where 'e is."

"And wouldn't that be weird?" muttered Sonic, to himself. The only things he knew about this story so far were that it was set on a ship, probably somewhere near England.

"Everything all right down there?" called a voice from above them. Sonic looked up to see a tan hare at the crow's nest in the same uniform.

"Just fine, John," replied the terrier. "Sonic just fell off the quarter deck after that nasty wave. Looks a little lost, though."

The rocking of the ship seemed to steady somewhat. Hopefully, the storm had already passed, and he wouldn't be in danger of falling off anymore.

"Just lucky he didn't fall overboard," said the hare. "I've never seen a sailor who hates the water so much."

"Aye, it's like a man who hates blood becoming a surgeon," said the terrier.

"Or a vampire who fancies a lass, but won't drink her blood," said the squirrel.

The other two laughed heartily at this. "Oh, come now, William, that's just ruddy ridiculous," said the terrier.

"Yeah," said the hare. "Vampires don't fancy ladies, they eat them. What else? Will some werewolf try to win the lass's heart?" The laughing continued as more members of the crew came to the main deck.

"What's all the laughin' about?" asked a Bassett hound.

"Nothin'" said the squirrel, his laughter subsiding. "Sonic just took a pretty nasty fall, though. You sure you're alright, Sonic? Not dizzy or anythin' are you?"

"Nope, no puking anytime soon," said Sonic.

Sonic very much enjoyed social activity. Just being able to talk with people and share a laugh with them was very satisfying. Still, it usually helped to know the names of the people he was talking to, and asking them what their names were in the middle of a voyage where they already knew his name would probably seem really weird. He decided that they'd probably call each other by name eventually, and he'd learn them that way.

"Storm's not over yet, boys!" cried a brown fox. His uniform had yellow stripes on it, and he had an authoritative look. "You never know what ol' Poseidon'll throw at us next. Make sure the riggin's secure, then we can go below."

"Aye aye," was the general consensus. Sonic guessed that the fox was first mate because of his authoritative air, and the captain's quarters hadn't opened.

The crew members began dispersing to their assigned positions. Sonic had no earthly clue what he was supposed to be doing, so he decided to follow the squirrel and hope for the best. The two of them ran to the railing of the ship where there was a row of six or seven wooden knobs with ropes tied to them. The squirrel began tugging on the knots, making sure that they were secure. Sonic followed suit, trying to hide his fear of falling over the railing, into the water.

After the second rope, he found a knot that was coming undone. He tried tugging on it, but that only seemed to loosen it even more. The blue hero continued to try to redo the knot, knowing that a sailor that didn't know how to tie that knot would look awfully suspicious. The ship tilted to Sonic's side, and he almost let go of the rope, clinging to the railing.

"Oy! I know you're American, but I'm pretty sure we all speak English. He said to secure the riggin', not release it!" said the squirrel.

"Right," said Sonic, regaining his composure. He made one last effort to retie the knot, but the squirrel took the rope from him and effortlessly secured the rope.

"Come on, you can't have hit your 'ead that hard. What, should we all just take care of things up 'ere while you lounge about below deck?"

Sonic was not one to be left behind, no matter the task. "What was that? I thought I heard a wisecrack. Maybe you should just get back to work before I fix all of them before you have the chance to sneeze."

The squirrel gave a hearty laugh. "That's the Sonic I know. For a second there, I thought you'd gone batty."

Sonic smiled back. They continued rushing around the ship, tightening the ropes as they went. Thankfully, Sonic was able to pick up how the squirrel had tied the knot, and got the hang of it, after some practice. Before long, the sailors had lined up on the main deck, their task completed.

"Good work, boys," said the fox. "Head on under. Be ready to get back up here at a moment's notice."

"Aye aye," replied the crew, simultaneously. The first mate pulled at a handle on the floor and opened the hatch. One at a time, the crew descended the staircase underneath, the first mate going last.

Sonic was very glad to be out of the rain, but it was still very cold with his wet clothing on. The line in front of him turned to the right, into a large room which he guessed to be the sleeping quarters. There were many poles going from floor to ceiling, and white sheets were tied between them as hammocks with each sailor's possesions on the floor beneath them.

Sonic ran into his next problem: he had no idea where his bed was. Sailors were turning to the left and to the right, settling into their hammocks, often chatting noisily. Sonic wasn't sure how far or how short he should go. The bunks were not named, and he didn't know which possessions were his. He had almost reached the end of the room when he heard the squirrel call after him.

"Sonic! Where ya goin'?" He turned around to see the squirrel about three rows of bunks behind him. "Come on! Let's play some rummy!"

"Coming," said Sonic. He backtracked to where the squirrel was, and found that the squirrel's hammock was right underneath the terrier's. Opposite them, the Bassett hound was sitting on the lower of the two hammocks. He guessed that his own hammock was the one above the Bassett hound.

The Bassett hound was going through a beige knapsack labeled 'Joshua.' By the pole that supported the other end of the hammocks, Sonic saw a similar knapsack labeled 'Sonic.' This made things much easier.

He was even more pleased to see that it was acceptable to take his wet clothes off at this time. The entire crew seemed to be Mobian, so there would be no controversy about nudity. They began wringing their uniforms out and hanging them on the ends of the hammocks to dry.

"Now don't get our uniforms mixed up again, Fred," said the terrier. "I was smelling all of the whiskey that you spilled on your shirt for a week last time it happened."

"Can you blame me for enjoyin' meself a bit at sea?" asked the squirrel, retrieving a small flask from his own knapsack and taking a drink. "It's the only reason I come ou' here. My wife always tells me to stop drinkin'. You want some, Sonic?"

"No thanks," said Sonic. Not only was he not a fan of alcohol, but he wasn't too keen to sharing a bottle with a sailor in this time period.

They spent the next hour or so talking and playing cards. He had learned that the Bassett hound's name was Joshua, the terrier's name was Charles, and the squirrel's name was Fred. This made conversation much easier, though most of the subjects went straight over his head. He didn't have a clue what the current events of the time were.

Joshua was a simple man, in his mid-forties, and very kind-hearted. He often spoke of his wife and children, and how he longed to see them again in London. So they were headed for London. But from where? And where were they right now?

"How far do you think we've gone?" Sonic asked.

"Can't say for sure," said Charles. "My guess is we haven't quite passed Australia, but it looks like we're almost at open sea."

"The sooner we get away from that hellhole, the better," remarked Fred. "I'd hate to be sent to tha' infernal place like the rest of those poor souls."

Sonic wasn't sure what he meant. It was his understanding that there were plenty of people living in Australia, and that they were happy there. From the way he was putting it, it sounded like some prison or no-man's land.

In about half an hour, the rocking of the ship had lessened a good deal. "Sonic!" called the first mate. "Put your clothes back on and check on the weather."

Sonic was slightly annoyed by the fact that he had to put the uniform back on, and that the first mate was closer to the door than him, but said, "Aye aye," and pulled the uniform back on.

Thankfully, the clothing had mostly dried out by now. He walked back up to the other end of the room, and climbed the staircase to the hatch. Hopefully, the rain would have stopped by then. Even if it hadn't, he only needed to stick his head out to check on the weather. He pushed up on the hatch, and thankfully, was not greeted with a face full of water.

The rain had stopped, though the clouds still dominated the skies. They cast a somewhat gloomy air over the scenery. He pushed the hatch open wider to get a better look at the sea itself. The wind was very strong. There were still some very large waves out there, but not as big as the ones that had hit the ship earlier. He watched as they rose and fell like small hills that poked above the surface, then died back down again. He was about to close the hatch when something in the water caught his eye. It appeared as a wave at a medium distance fell to reveal something small and brown.

Sonic got completely out of the hatch and walked towards the side of the boat where he had seen the object. The waves rose and fell, but he couldn't see the object anymore. A few seconds later, though, the waves opened up to give him a better look at it. It looked to be made of wood, probably a good-sized block. It could have been a missing piece of ship or a raft of some sort. Before he had the chance to turn around, though, he saw something black pop out of the water right next to the raft. His eyes widened as he had discerned what it had been just before the waves had hidden it again: a person.

"Hey! There's a guy out there!" he shouted. "Man overboard!"

"What's that, Sonic?" asked John, the hare.

"There's a person out there! He's struggling on a raft!"

After a few seconds of looking, John shouted, "Whoah! Get the crew! Man overboard!"

Sonic rushed to the hatch and wrenched it open. "Man overboard!" he screamed into the inside of the ship. "There's a man out there! We've got to help him!" There was shouting and the sound of rushing feet coming from the room below.

Sonic turned back to look for the man in the water. He would have jumped in without a second thought to rescue him, if only he could swim. For once in his life, he felt utterly helpless.

A few seconds later, the first mate came up with a small spyglass in his hand. "Where is he?" he asked Sonic.

"Over there," said Sonic, pointing to the spot where he had seen the man. The fox opened the spyglass and looked through it where Sonic had indicated. After a few seconds, the waves allowed him to see the man, trying as hard as he could to hold on to the miniscule raft.

By this time, most of the crew was on the main deck. Some were looking over the rails, trying to spot where the person was. Others were preparing the lifeboat. They pushed it over the edge, and a few men got into it, including Charles. Sonic decided to jump in as well, despite some protests from crewmembers.

"You can't swim, lad. We don't need to save two poor souls," said one.

"That's right," said Sonic. "We're just going to get one." He would never abandon a person in need, no matter what.

The lifeboat was lowered slowly into the violent waters. Each crew member took out a paddle and, by the watch of Charles, they began rowing towards the struggling man. The rowing put a great strain on Sonic. He was more used to using his lower body, but he knew that he couldn't abandon the man out there to die. His shoulders and back ached against the relentless waves.

Each wave was like a giant mountain that the rowers had to climb using only their paddles. The wind sprayed a good deal of water into Sonic's face that stung his eyes. This was actually somewhat of a blessing to Sonic, as he would not have to look at the raging waters all around him, and could focus on paddling. It seemed to take an eternity, but Charles finally said, "Almost there."

Sonic opened his eyes and turned around. The raft was still pitching and tossing in the water, and a black Mobian lay on it with no discernible clothing, probably unconscious. Soon, they had reached the raft. Two other crew members picked the body up from the raft by the arms and legs and lowered it carefully onto the lifeboat. Sonic couldn't believe his eyes. Lying face-up, eyes closed, on the boat, was Shadow.

He was completely naked; no gloves, no inhibitor rings, no shoes, nothing. Sonic had never seen him in such a vulnerable state. In fact, he had just been rescued. Shadow the hedgehog needed to be rescued. Charles put two fingers to his neck. "He's still alive," he said. He leaned over to listen to the black hedgehog's mouth. "Still breathing." Sonic let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, let's get him back to the _Bountiful_."

They turned the lifeboat around and began rowing back to the ship with their new passenger. Sonic was absolutely shocked. Not because Shadow was there, he knew that most of these worlds made their characters in the likeness of his acquaintances to make him more comfortable. What shocked him was how very vulnerable Shadow looked at this point. Sonic always saw Shadow as a strong person, never backing down, undefeatable, which was why he was such a great rival. Here, he looked cast down, wasted; without clothing, without a friend, unconscious, at the mercy of the sea. This was a situation that Sonic never thought Shadow would be in. The Shadow he knew would continue fighting, no matter what happened to him. Now, lying unconscious on the boat, he looked utterly defeated. Was this what he looked like when he fell at the Space Colony ARK?

Sonic's thoughts were interrupted when they finally reached the ship again. The boat was hauled up to the main deck where the other sailors were clambering about to get a better view of the one that they had just rescued. They lifted Shadow's body off of the boat and placed it on a blanket laid out on the deck. The other sailors crowded around him.

"Let me through," said a gruff voice. Immediately, there was silence, and the crowd of sailors parted, revealing a large bulldog that began walking towards Shadow. He was wearing a large black jacket and a tricorn hat, signifying his position as captain. The men saluted him as he passed, and Sonic did the same, though still watching Shadow's unconscious form. The captain had a very stern face. He appeared to be very strict, though his expression did betray a more gentle nature underneath. "At ease," he said, and the sailors dropped their salutes.

"Is he alive?" asked the captain.

"Aye," replied Charles. "And still breathing, too."

The captain kneeled by Shadow's body and felt his forehead. "Bring me a bucket of water, a rag, and a bottle of brandy."

"Aye aye," said a few of the crew members, retreating beneath the hatch to retrieve the items.

There was intense whispering amongst the sailors. They were all wondering what might have brought Shadow to that state. Sonic heard some say that it was a shipwreck, others that he was an escaped convict. He honestly didn't know. He had a lot of repect for Shadow underneath, but he knew that Shadow, even in alternate dimensions, was capable of siding with evil. He decided that it would be best to not jump to conclusions. If Shadow was a good character, great. If he was evil, Sonic could just as easily lead him down the path of good. Simple as that.

The crew members returned with the items that the captain had requested. He dipped the rag in the water and placed it on Shadow's forehead. He began rubbing his face with the wet rag, trying to wake him up. "Can you hear me?" he asked. "If you can hear me, open your eyes."

At first, nothing happened, but after a few more seconds of rubbing and calling to him, Shadow began to stir. He let out a groan and opened his red eyes.

"Easy now," said the captain, gently. Shadow was looking around at the people standing around him. For a second, his eyes met Sonic's, but he continued looking around as if he were any other person. Shadow attempted to sit straight up, but the captain pushed back on him, urging him to lie back down. "Hold your horses," he said. "My name is Captain Jenkins. You are onboard the ship _Bountiful_. My men rescued you while you were lost at sea. Can you tell me your name?"

Shadow was staring intently at Captain Jenkins the whole time he was speaking to him. It wasn't the usual cold pompous stare that the normal Shadow gave most people, but Sonic could not deny that there was some distinct hatred buried deep within his eyes.

"Shadow," he answered. His voice had a much more aged sound to it. He was easily ten or twenty years older than the Shadow that Sonic knew. What surprised Sonic, though, was that he kept his name from the real world. When Sonic had last entered a storybook, Shadow had called himself Sir Lancelot. Here, they both bore the same name. This book was integrating more of his life into it than any other he had been in.

"Alright, Mr. Shadow," said Captain Jenkins. "Would you like some brandy to wake you up, or would you prefer water?"

"Brandy," replied Shadow. The sailors carefully helped him to sit up as the captain opened to bottle. Shadow took it from him, thanking him for it, then took a long swig. A good deal of color rushed to his face as he handed the bottle back to the captain.

"Can you tell us what brought you to being tossed about on such a small raft out on the open sea?" asked Captain Jenkins.

Shadow simply looked at the captain for a few minutes, showing neither attempting to remember something nor trying to come up with a cover story. It was a simple deadpan stare that betrayed absolutely no emotion at all. "No, I cannot remember."

"You do realize that we are off the coast of Australia, and you could just as well be an escaped convict?" asked the captain, warningly.

There was no lie at all in Shadow's response. "I have no idea how I came to this place," he said, firmly.

The captain took a moment to consider him, then stood back up. "Very well then, welcome aboard the _Bountiful_, Mr. Shadow." He turned to Sonic. "Mr. Hedgehog, please take our newest passenger downstairs and find a bed and some clothing for him."

Sonic saluted and said, "Aye aye, captain." The group began to disperse, still whispering feverishly as they went. Sonic bent down and pulled Shadow to his feet. The black hedgehog leaned against the blue, still fairly weak.

What a bizarre story this was turning out to be.

**So have you figured out what book he's in yet? Don't worry, the next chapter will have a definite answer for you otherwise. Stay tuned!**


End file.
